Hows your Possums boys?

 

Never better, David - alive and kicking all over the place. Regretfully,(or delighted, perhaps?) I am no longer in a position to comment on the issue in order not to generate any conflict of interest.

I think Mike N. should be able to give you a more credible feedback.

Thanks for asking anyway.

q.

[This message has been edited by quattro (edited 16-02-2000).]

 

David,

I have already answered your private mail, but I thought I'd post something here to, as it may be of general interest.

I'm very pleased indeed with the new ECU, which I am slowly but surely starting to get to grips with (Bob Rawle did the original installation and mapping, but I am now starting to learn the ins and outs of DIY mapping, with much assistance from Bob).

The initial installation and mapping session went well, with power and torque feeling every bit as good as my old PE Phase 1 conversion. Starting and idling are two areas where the Possum tends to give away ground to the OE ECU, and another short session with Bob was required to make the thing a bit more tractable around town.

I have started my own tweaking mainly because I am seeking the holy grail of decent fuel economy (currently nudging 20mpg to and from work, which is a distinct improvement). For now, I'm staying well away from the top end stuff, which is where you can cause engine damage if you're not careful.

Speaking of which, I now understand enough about the process to know that there are no guarantees, and one oversight is all it takes to cost you a five grand engine rebuild.

If you own a UK car, don't kid yourself that you aren't taking risks with your engine. They may not be huge risks, but they are there. If the supplier is willing to give a warranty that your engine will stay healthy, then that's helpful, but there is still room for differences of opinion regarding the cause of failures (witness Anders/PE saga).

For grey import owners, things are a little different, because your cars are running on fuel they were not designed for. In this case, fitting a Possum Link will probably decrease the risk of engine damage, and I would recommend upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

In either case, be very careful who you let loose mapping your car. From my experiences with him, I can certainly recommend Bob Rawle, but that is not to say that there won't be others who will also do a good job.

My main hint would be to use your "BS detector", and walk away from anyone who seems to resent being asked questions or takes offence at being asked to justify their methods. At the end of the day, it's your car, and the supplier should expect you to want maximum reassurance.

-= mike =-